How To Handle Stress Positively

A recent study by the American Psychological Association found that one-third of the global population is living with extreme stress. And although stress seems to be too common to pose a threat, studies on the matter shows otherwise.

Stress plays a huge factor in causing people to lose control of themselves–eat unhealthily, neglect sleep, feel restless and be emotionally unstable.

Unfortunately, no matter who you are or what you do, stress is an inevitable part of life. However, rather than dwelling on just the negative aspects, it would benefit us to learn how to handle stress positively.

How To Better Deal With Stress

Below are a few tips on what you can do to positively manage stress:

1. Understand your reaction to stress is unique.

A lot of us misunderstand that the stress, stress inducers or stressful situation are entirely personal. Hence, we often go to others for advice on how to best deal with stress.

While seeking help from others can be helpful, you must remember that stress relief techniques that work for others may not be effective with you. So, be wise in choosing your stress management methods. These methods should be based on your personality and your common stress inducers.

2. Recognize how stress feels to you.

It is essential to think about how you feel when you are stressed and discover your own stress signals. These signals may be mental or physical. Some of the common signs of stress are inability to concentrate, irritability, fatigue, stomach aches, headaches and general feeling of listlessness.

If you are able to recognize the signals of stress, you can then begin to think of ways to minimize or cope with the stress. Recognizing the stress signals right away can really help lessen or diminish stressful situations and stress-related reactions before they get out of hand.

3. Identify positive ways to deal with stress.

I would like to emphasise the word “positive” as more and more people nowadays are coping with stress inappropriately. Most people resort to unhealthy behaviors like drinking, smoking and overeating to cope with stress.

Although these practices may make you feel better temporarily, they are not going to help you feel better and may even cause more stress in the long run. You should aim to find healthy ways you could manage stress. There are lots of great ways to deal with stress positively, I have listed a few examples below:

- Practice yoga or meditation
- Spend time with friends
- Immerse yourself in nature
- Listen to calm and soft music
- Read a good book.
- Start an art project.
- Take up a hobby.
- Play some sports
- Give yourself some “me” time
- Watch a light-hearted movie or TV show

To handle stress positively, you need to take care of yourself physically and mentally you need to eat right, drink lots of water, get 7-8 hours of sleep, exercise and find time for things that make you happy.

Healthy lifestyle practices will make you and your body stronger and better able to cope with stress. Although it may seem like these tips are nothing out-of-the-ordinary, doing them will give you a great start in tackling your stress.